Opened Eyes
by girlie0608
Summary: Takes place after the last book and ignores the Coda this is an AU story not following the books. Sookie realizes that she does not love Sam and wants to get Eric back on the day of her wedding and learns so much more once she finally opens her eyes to what is going on around her.
1. Chapter 1

Opened Eyes

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters I just wanted to play with them a little bit please do not sue it would only be a waste of your money and time as I am as poor as you can get and not live on the streets.

Summary: Sookie makes a discussion on her wedding day to Sam that changes the lives of everyone who knows her some for the better some for the worse but she finally see's what she has to do in order to find the happiness that she has always wanted even if it means giving up a normal life.

As I sat in my room waiting for Jason to come in to walk me outside I thought over everything that has happened to me in the last few years and how I got her between Grans death, Bill, Quinn, Amelia and Alcides betrayal how could I possible know who to trust and I always blamed Eric I don't even know why I did it I think it probably had to do with the fact that I knew from that first night at Fangtasia when I looked into his eyes that he was the one and it frightened me to death. I wanted him more than anything ever before but before I could fully grasp what I was thinking Bill of course interrupted me and then I felt bad for ogling another vampire right in front of the vampire I was with although looking back I shouldn't have since I told him that it was not a date but knowing now about the blood the bastard was using his blood against me. I have finally ended our friendship after I overheard him talking to someone on the phone about how he is working on getting me back and that he was close little did he know that was never going to happen so when I walked into the room and told him very calmly that I never wanted to see him again that any feelings I ever had for him have been gone for a long time and where never going to return no matter what he thought and that I felt we could no longer be friends well let's just say he was not happy and as usual blamed it on Eric who is stuck for the next one hundred ninety nine years thanks to his Maker and also me since he added an extra hundred years for my protection even though I just learned that little detail yesterday and was pissed. Well I lost any cool that I might have had with Bill and stood right in his face and told him that it has nothing to do with Eric and he couldn't blame everything on other people eventually you have to look in the mirror and say this is on me and own it and walked out that was three months ago and I have not heard from him since even though he still lives right across the cemetery unfortunately.

Now I am here waiting to be brought down to my soon to be husband whom I am not in love with because he convinced me that he could give me the normal life I always wanted funny how the saying is you never know what you have until its gone is so right I miss Eric every day and right then I decide that I cannot continue like this for the last year I have been fake to everyone including myself and I cannot keep going like this I have decided to put a stop to my own pathetic wedding that never should have happened I quickly take my dress and shoes off put my jeans and t shirt back on go to the bathroom wash the pound of makeup off my face and put my hair up in a ponytail it has been dark for about an hour know since I invited Pam and Karen to my wedding even though my relationship with Pam is strained she is still my best friend and supports my decisions even though she will probably find a way to report that I am remarried to Eric once it is done and that is why she is coming but she is in for a surprise. I am taking my life back tonight and if I have my way that will include freeing Eric even if he has decided he doesn't want me anymore he does not deserve what his Maker has done to him and I will not allow it any longer I will get him back it is the last thing I do

. Just as I finish this thought there is a knock on my door I open it to see Jason on the other side when he sees me his eyes bug out of his head and he is just staring at me like I have lost my mind so I just smirk and tell him to come in as I walk over to my phone and hit speed dial 2 to call Pam she answers on the first ring and I ask her to come up to talk to me for a second and to bring Karen and then hang up before she can ask me other questions since there are Supes out there and I don't want them knowing what is going on since I am upstairs in Amelia's old room that has been warded so you cannot hear what is going on outside it is perfect for what I am about to tell them I motion for Jason to sit and tell him that I will explain when they get here and then sit next at the chair tucked under a desk Amelia left behind and wait.

Chapter 2

Pam walked in a few minutes later followed by Karen they both took one look at me and let out an unnecessary sigh, Pam was smirking as she reached into her huge bag and pulled a pink blouse and dark jeans out of it and changed quickly then sat down staring at me while I watched every move she made as Karen stood up against the wall and wait for me to speak. As I look around I realize that Sam needs to be here also to hear what I have to say and although this is going to be really hard to explain but it was time for me to do what was right for me not what everyone else thought I should want because this was not it. With that thought in mind I sent Jason down to get Sam to come upstairs and once again waited the few minutes but know I was worried and not feeling quite so confident but I knew this was the right thing to do. When Sam came in he immediately came to my side and asked what was wrong and I guess the look on my face told him everything because he immediately started pacing and yelling and even though I usually try to stay out of my head I dropped my shields to hear what he was thinking and let me tell you it was not what I thought at all _"this cannot happen everything I have done to get her to agree to marry me and now she is going to just walk away I cannot allow this to happen the king will kill me he wants her and he knows the only way to get around the contract is if she is married to me and I give her to him it's the only way he will be able to keep her and there will be nothing Eric can do because she chose this well not really of her own free will but she doesn't know that" _I had heard enough and before I could stop myself I punched him in the face causing him head to jerk back and at the same minute he realized I heard him Pam had him in her grip waiting to see what was going on, I looked at her to find her smirking down at him waiting but he was staring at me with a mix of anger and worry in his eyes as I explained what I hear from his head and then gasped as Jason punched him again breaking his nose and both Pam and Karen growled at him. I looked to Pam to see what to do and she immediately took charge of the situation sending Karen out to get rope from her mini-van she was back quickly and Sam was tied to the chair while I was thinking about how to explain to the guests when Jason spoke up and said that I should tell them the truth about Sam was going to betray you and why it's not like everyone attending doesn't know about me anyway so it shouldn't be hard for them to understand at least the important ones and the rest I don't really car but I was worried about Sam's mom turning on me so I asked if Karen would escort me outside. When we got out there and everyone saw me there was a loud gasp and then complete silence at least on the outside but the thoughts were bombarding me so I grabbed Karen's arm to stop the thoughts took a deep breath and then stood on the raised platform that was put up for Sam and I to be married on and explained it all when I was finished I waited to see what everyone would say and of course it was Sam's mom who to everyone's surprise laughed before standing up and looking around at everyone staring at her and then said I tried to warn him but he wouldn't listen to me, never listen's to me and know he has gone and pissed of not only an entire town that he lives in but some really old vampire's also well it's meeting you all but I am going back to Texas but before she could finish Karen had her by the arm dragging her into the house and then everyone was quietly watching me waiting to see what I was going to do so I shrugged my shoulders thanked everyone for coming told them to enjoy the food and but to stay out of the house and Jason would be out shortly and walked back into the house as calm as I could and as soon as I got inside I started laughing hysterically I couldn't believe how this day was going and I thought my first wedding night was bad this totally topped the worse wedding days in the world and the night has just begun things really are always exciting when I am around Pam no wonder she likes to keep me around.

Chapter 3

The Truth Hurts

The look in Sam's face in laughable when we walk I walk in he cannot take his eyes off his mother being tied up to one of my kitchen chairs which I assume Karen brought up with her, I nod at her and go to stand directly in front of Sam and although I don't want to I know I don't have a choice but to go back into his head to get the information I need because he will never tell me on his own that would just be to simple, I reach out put my hand on his neck since his hands are tied behind the chair and I touching his face is to intimate unless its with my fist and drop my shields to listen to him again _"She will never understand I was in debt the $100,000 she gave me wasn't even close to enough but how could I tell her it's bad enough I made her a partner in my business because I knew if I did she would never ask for the money back now I will be lucky if the fuckin' vamps don't kill me tonight maybe they will make it quick so that De Castro cannot torture me for failing him. It doesn't really matter if I fail tomorrow night Bill will show up and take her by force since I re invited him into the house without her knowing._

Sam I say startling him out of his thoughts, he looks up at me and realized that I am touching him and that I was listening to his thoughts and snarls at me like the animal he is and then looks down in defeat and I know that it is time to ask my questions. I take a deep breath and start with a simple question. Sam what exactly was your plan and what did you mean when you thought earlier that I did not really choose this of my own free will what have you done to me to take away my will? He just stares at me with a shocked look on his face and doesn't want to say it out loud but I have already heard it all he was ordered to put a potion in my drink every Sunday evening before bed that the king ordered his witch in Las Vegas to make for me, when ingested it would make me think that I was in love with the person who served it to you and want to do anything to make them happy he started giving it to me a week before the Were war when I used the Cluvial Dor on him and was extremely happy to see that the potion was working, he knew she didn't really love him but he didn't care he stopped loving her a long time ago but she was a loyal employee willing to drop anything when he called, he was glad that Jannalynn tried to kill him because it took the only thing that could have saved Northman from his contract and left her for him to swoop in and take his place. He was trying to figure out what went wrong with the potion that it stopped working all of a sudden and he chose that second to speak out loud and asked why didn't it work?

She stared down at him and no longer saw the man that she thought of as a friend and only the monster he became for money something she could never understand because money was never important to her she stepped back and just watched him not knowing where to begin to tell the others everything she has heard in the last few minutes she was embarrassed, sad, and most importantly angry, she had a Vampire who loved her and she loved him even through this entire year of him being gone she still loved him and because of the greed of so many others she lost him and then pushed him away to the point that even after she rescues him she doubts that he will want her back and with that thought she finally let the dam break as the tears flowed down her cheeks she told everyone what she had heard and then walked out the room and down to her bedroom and crawled under the covers pulling one of Eric's shirts out of the drawer next to her bed she laid back and hugged it to her chest. She knew she wasn't done with Sam and his mother but she needed to come to terms with all the information she had just learned and then she could go back and finish what needed to be done she was more determined than ever to save Eric and needed to find out from Pam what to do about Bill because she had no doubt that he would be there first thing tomorrow night and with that in mind she sat up and whispered into the darkness William Thomas Compton I Rescind Your Invitation to My Home.

A few minutes later her door opened and Pam quietly laid next to her and rubbed her arm until the tears that she didn't even realize were still flowing stopped. I sat up and Pam followed next to me watching to make sure I was ok I nodded my head and she gave me a small smile that turned into a smirk than quickly her deadpanned expression and I knew right then everything would be fine I would do what need to be done and think about everything else later Eric needed me to save him and I needed this chapter of my life to end so I could hopefully be happy. I got out of bed and headed back up the stairs to finish the interrogation.

Chapter 4

Mommy Dearest

I stand outside the door listening to Sam tell his mother to not say anything that I will not allow any harm to come to them because I don't like violence and although its true he is going to learn right along with his mother and Bill I am done letting everyone walk all over me it is time for me to embrace who and what I am if I truly want to prove to Eric that I want to be with him than I need to stop running so with that in mind I open the door and walk straight over to Bernadette and grab her shoulder right above the tacky green dress she is wearing and drop my shields and ask her the only question I have for her. Bernadette I ask what is your part in all of this and her thoughts are awful _is she kidding this whole thing was my idea why else would allow my son to marry a non-shifter as soon as she is gone I will introduce him to Talia in Texas he can sell his stupid bar and come back and start a family and have more pure bred shifters they will be good together._

I interrupt her thoughts to get her back to what I need to know by asking her again what her part was the entire time I haven't stopped listening but I am getting tired from trying to get through the snarly red of her mind but I keep pushing _Sam doesn't know exactly how much I am involved with this but what he doesn't know won't kill him this Bitch better not tell him or I will take great joy in killing her after Bill takes care of the two Vamp Bitches he said he would get them to agree to stay in his house and would fight the sun and stake them before he dies for the day so they will not be able to help her tomorrow when he takes her and I am sure that Bill will not live long after he kills the Northman's Children so I won't have to worry about him for long either its great I can wipe that debt out and then go home with my boy and watch my grandbabies grow up she probably doesn't even know that I only spent $150.00 on her ring she is so pathetic but soon it will be over she won't do anything to us so when she lets us go I will send Bill right away to get it over with._

When I am done listening to her I let my hand fall away and step back I don't even care how else she is involved she has plans in place to kill the only real friends I have she will not get out of this alive not know and if I thought that I wouldn't have to kill Bill before now I know for sure he needs to go but maybe we will hold him in silver so Eric can have the honor of getting rid of him once and for all I know he never killed him before because of me but I just cannot find it in me to care what happens to him. He has hurt me for the very last time he just doesn't know it yet but he will very soon.

I turn and look at Sam who has been yelling at me to stop listening to his mother she had nothing to do with it, I just stare at him and realize that he has no clue how fucked they really are because Bernadette did let him in on everything but still he is just as culpable as she is and I cannot allow our fake friendship to cloud my judgment in this matter and an idea pops into my head and I run back down to my room and grab the silver chain and a pair of leather gloves and two scarves from my closet to keep the shifters quiet from my closet and my cell phone on my way back upstairs I hand the gloves to Karen to put on then hand her the silver and ask her to put Sam and Bernadette in the room next door for a few moments. When she returns I pick up my phone and dial, after three rings he answers.

Chapter 4 Oh Bill You Have Been A Very Naughty Boy

**This is Bill **he says as he answers and I cannot help but roll my eyes at his greeting but I just sigh into the phone then start my academy award winning conversation with my douchebag ex

**Sookie: HI Bill its Sookie how are you? **

**Bill: I am good why are you calling I thought you were getting married tonight?**

**Sookie: I was but we got into an argument after the wedding and he left with his mother a few minutes ago said he needed to be alone for a little bit so I left the guests to eat the food and enjoy there evening and I know that you are always willing to listen to me when I have a bad day could you come over for a few minutes.**

**Bill: Sure I will be there in five minutes.**

**Sookie: Thank you Bill can you come to the front door since guests are still in the back?**

**Bill: Sure Sookie I will see you soon.**

I roll my eyes as I hang up the phone and Pam starts clapping her hands at my acting skills, she smirks at me and then we go downstairs to wait for Bill to arrive Karen decides to go around back and then follow him into the house while Pam goes and waits in the kitchen so he has to escape unless he goes out a window which would be funny but doubtful a couple minutes later there is a knock on the door, I answer it and invite bill into the living room and leave the door open so Karen can just walk in.

Would you like a blood Bill? No Sookie tell me what happened, I sit on the chair across from him and start my story with a smile on my face. I tell him about what happened and that I just couldn't go through with it and I see the panic on his face and give a single nod to Karen and she quickly raps the silver around his neck and pulls him over the couch onto the floor and kneels on his chest, He hisses out his pain and demands to know what is going on. I rise from the chair and walk around the couch and smile down at his surprised face as I tell him that I learned all about his plans by listening in to Sam and Bernadette's thoughts and that he was not going to get away with it, I look at Karen and ask her to tie him up with the others and to watch them while I take Pam to check out Bills house to see if we can find any evidence of what Felipe has planned because that could be a simple way of getting Eric out of his contract and watch as she drags and smoking bill up the stairs and then go to get Pam in the Kitchen.

When we get to Bills I notice that there is a void in one of the rooms upstairs and whisper to Pam and she Vamp runs into the house and a few seconds later she is back with a naked hissing Thalia with Blood all over her I run into the house and straight to the fridge and grab all the blood and throw four into the microwave and take two outside since it will not make a difference at this point because she will just slam them down quickly I give them to Pam and then run inside to get the rest of them for her and shake them as I run back outside. Pam is standing over her as she drinks making sure that she gains control and I go inside to look for clothes for her to wear as I walk into the room across from Bills all I see is blood and it makes me angry knowing that it is Thalia's I always had great respect for her and know that she is really old so it must have been very difficult to capture her and to see what she must have been through at the hands of Bill makes me want to stake him myself but I now know that that will have to happen at the hands of Thalia for what he did to her I think I might have felt bad for him if it wasn't for what I am seeing now as I walk in I see that her close are nothing but rags on the floor covered in blood so she will have to wear his clothes I know she will not like it but she cannot go to my house naked so she can change into my close when she gets there so I cross over to Bills room and what I see shocks me he has a floor to ceiling shrine of me its sick and twisted and makes me want to throw up I quickly go to his dresser and remove a shirt and shorts and run them down to Thalia who is finishing her last blood I hand them to her and tell her that if she is able to control herself around humans she can go to my house and change into something of mine so she doesn't have to keep his clothes on she nod quickly dresses and runs through the cemetery in a blink of an I, I look to Pam and she shrugs and walks towards the house with me following behind her.

This time when we go in I go straight to his desk and tell Pam to check his room since I do not want to go back up there. I open his computer and see type in his password that is a mix of my name and birthdate stupid if you ask me since it has been the same since we were together but made it easy for me and when it opens up I want to throw up he has all the pictures that he pinned to his wall on the cover page and I know that I did not pose for any of them and that he has been spying on me for a long time a couple are of me and Eric making love and I just want to rip his eyes out of his head that was not for him to see that was for me and Eric only when we were happy he had no right. I feel myself losing track of what I need to do so I shake my head and start looking through the files a lot of them are for his data base and so I scan them quickly and then move on to the next eventually I get to one that says Northman and click on it as I read through the document I see red it says

**Dear William Compton,**

**I would like to Thank you for your help in finding a suitable wife for my child I have contacted Freyda earlier and we are meeting next Friday to begin our contract negotiations I have already contacted Felipe De Castro as he would be the only person who would be able to go against the contract and have informed him that he would get the Telepath that he wants once my child is out of his state and he was more than willing to go along with whatever I decide is best for my child. I am believe that my new child can use some time with his brother so I have decided to visit Louisiana after the contract is signed and then I will notify him of his new station in the Vampire world. I was curious as to why you are so invested in my child life as to help me to find a wife for my child and would like to know how this benefits you. **

**Sincerely,**

**Appius Livius Ocello**

Chapter 5 Proof We Need

I can only stare at the screen as a million thoughts go through my head, Pam comes into the room and I point at the screen she leans over me to read it and when she finishes she hisses I get up and let her continue to scan through the rest of the documents and she comes to another letter from De Castro Dated two weeks ago

TO William Compton,

I am writing to inform you that the shifter will be marrying my Telepath in two weeks' time I want you to stay home that day and not attend the wedding I know that I told you to confirm that they did indeed marry but I have decided to have Sam call me the next evening to confirm since I think that you being there may upset her since you have not received an invitation I do not want anything to interfere with the wedding as it is my only chance to get her as my own. Be ready to take her the next night as I do not wish to wait longer than necessary and I promised Sam that it would happen immediately and since they are married he can move into her house without her brother having any say in it. I will have my private Jet waiting for you at midnight do not be late.

You're Majesty,

Filipe De Castro

King of Nevada, Louisiana and Arkansas

That is exactly what we needed to help get Eric out of his contract I pick up my cell phone and call Mr. C to see if I can set up appointment to see him after a couple of rings a female answers speaking really fast and I know its Diantha even if I barely understand what she said

Diantha: HiSookiehowhaveyoubeenmyuncleisinameetingaskedmetoanswerthephone

Sookie: Hi Diantha I am well how are you? I am calling to see if it would be possible to set up an appointment to meet with MR. C as soon as possible.

Diantha: SureholdonandIwillsee

Sookie: Ok.

Diantha: Hecanseeyouintwohoursinshreveportifyoucanmakeit.

Sookie: I can make it just tell me where

Diantha: ThecoffeeshopdownthestreetfromFangtasia

Sookie: I will be there thank you Diantha it was nice talking with you.

I hang up the phone and look to Pam and she just nods her head I open the top draw and pull out a flashcard and hand it to Pam to save all the files to as I walk to the closet that I know that he spends his days in and crawl into the back to see if he has hidden anything in there and find inside his coffin another flash drive and some disks so I grab them and the laptop that is next to them and crawl back out to were Pam is standing I hand her the items and we leave the house and head back to mine. When we get there I see Karen and Thalia sitting on the sofa with bloods in their hands Thalia looks better and she is wearing a pair of my jeans and a t shirt and she looks as pissed. I sit in one of the chairs as Pam drops the computer and files in front of Karen and sits on the arm of my chair and waits while Karen and Thalia reads through everything I hear Karen hiss and then she gets up and runs out the front door I second later I feel the ground shake and I am pretty sure she just ripped a tree out of the ground but I wait since nobody else moves and she comes back in and sits back down like nothing happened.

She looks to me and I explain that I have a meeting with Mr. C in two hours and that someone would have to stay and guard the house so that our prisoners don't get away since I don't have enough silver to wrap around all of them. Kim and Thalia decide to stay so Pam and I go get ready. A few minutes later I have my sneakers on and found a duffel bag for the laptop, flash drives and disks that I want to show the lawyer and we get into the car to head toward Shreveport since it's only an hour drive when doing the speed limit with Pam driving it takes us half an hour and we stop at Fangtasia since she scheduled a few meetings that would only take a few minutes so I sat on her new couch and waited while she finished her business when she was done we still had forty five minutes to wait so we went to the bar to see how everything was running and I was amazed at what I saw Pam has done a great job on everything and although the uniforms are still not something I would ever wear they are better to look at then what they used to be. As I sit in what used to be Eric's old booth a waitress come up to me and tells me nobody is allowed to sit there it is Master's booth and held for his return only the children and true wife of the Master can sit there I drop my shields to listen to what she is thinking _stupid bitch thinks she can sit wherever she wants because she came in with Pam she has a lot to learn I don't know who Master's wife is I never met her but I know that if I ever did I would do anything in my power to get her to the King that's why I was sent here in the first place get cozy with the Sheriff so she is willing to tell you all that is going on in her area keep her distracted so she doesn't figure out what I have planned for the Telepath and inform me immediately if the Telepath ever shows her face in the bar those are easy orders and I make sure to stop anyone from sitting in this booth so that the telepath has to identify herself as his wife in order to sit here. _I stare at her for a minute and then walk up to the bar and wait for Pam to come to me as she does I whisper everything I heard so that only the Vampires closest to us can hear since I recognize them all from the war with Victor Madden I know they are on our side Pam nods her head and then walks towards where the waitress is taking an order from a vampire I don't recognize and they disappear into the back employee only area.

We head to the coffee shop down the road and get there at the same time as Mr. C and Diantha pull in so we all go in together and take a seat at a booth towards the back of the shop after our greetings Mr. C gets right to business by asking why I wanted to see him I lift the bag onto the table and tell him everything that I found out that night and then show him the letters on the laptop and sit back and wait for him to tell me what my next step is.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 6

Vampire Law

After Mr. C goes over all the evidence we gave him, he sits back and stares straight ahead for a few moments, finally he looks to me and asks, Sookie as you know I have been a lawyer for the supernatural for a very long time and in all that time nothing like this has ever happened, it has always been that children must obey there Makers command, I know that Eric's Maker has met the true death but still Eric had to abide by the contract that was commissioned by Freyda and Ocello, in order to protect you he changed the contract to add an additional 100 years as long as you stay safe and yes if you had married the shifter that would have made you his but I personally went over the new contract and it states very clearly that no matter what you chose to do with your life you were to be left alone or the contract in null in void so with this proof Eric can be released. The problem is if we take this evidence to the vampire Counsel it can take a while and you are still left here in danger since Eric will still be stuck in Oklahoma until the judges decide to release him. It is not a common thing for a consort to leave a Monarch since the Monarch has all the power so he could also find himself in trouble with Freyda once she finds out.

I hold my hand up to stop him and tell him that is the problem he has survived over 1000 years on this earth tortured by a cruel maker and even in death Ocello is able to continue torturing him, I don't know what Eric's life is like in Oklahoma, I don't know if he is happy there and if he is then that is fine but it should be his choice not her's she may be a Queen but she was not his chosen Queen, which should tell you that he did not want to be there he could have chosen to live in Oklahoma and open his bar there but he didn't he settled in Louisiana and he ruled his little area and he was happy up until De Castro killed Sophie-Anne and took over. All I want is for him to have a choice. Then an idea hit me! Would it be possible for you to maybe see what he wants you're his lawyer also right so could you ask to speak with him privately away from the Palace where I am sure everything is bugged, I canwrite a letter explaining what I know and he can choose if this is what he wants if it's not then I will stop and move out of the country and start a new life. I have funds from Claudine still I could move to a small no name town in the middle of nowhere and let Sookie Stackhouse become a forgotten name. He hands me a napkin from the table and I realize I have tears streaming down my face I didn't even realize I was crying the thought of not being with Eric is killing me but this is not about me he deserves to be happy and if that is without me then I will live with it.

Mr. C nods his head and pulls out a blank piece of notepad paper and a pen I get up and walk to an empty table and think about what I want to write before I begin.

Dear Eric,

I am writing this knowing it is probably too late but I need you to understand a few things that I have learned just today that have been going on since the week before I used the Cluvial Dor on Sam, Apparently Felipe De Castro gave Sam a potion to put in my drink once a week starting the week right before the wolf meeting this potion was to make me love the person who presented me with the drink which of course was Sam he is currently at tied up at my house with his mother and Bill being watched over by your Karen and Thalia, they were all involved in this from the beginning you see Sam owes a lot of money and I knew this and loaned him the money I got from Claudine which he never intended to pay back but he owed more than that so his mother came up with a plan knowing that the King wanted me that if Sam married me he could hand me over because I would be his so they contacted De Castro and he got his witch to create the potion and started giving it to me and that is why I used the Cluvial Dor on him even though I knew in my heart I loved you the potion was not letting me listen to my heart. Well apparently he has been feeding me this potion every week for a year up until this past week when he had an emergency and was not able to give it to me, all week I have been feeling awful and when I woke up today the day I was supposed to marry him I knew it was wrong and I would not be able to do it and as I sat at the vanity I was supposed to use to get ready all I could do was think about you and how much I love you and that even though the words you said to me were hurtful and wrong I know you were hurting to and just wanted to be with me no matter what but I could never have done that I am to selfish to be the other women and I deserve better than that but that is not what this letter is about I have found out that Felipe De Castro has been planning on taking me and I have proof from just two weeks ago that his plans where to take place tomorrow after I am married to Sam apparently he believes that Sam can just give me to him and it will not affect the contract I am with Mr. C now and he has informed me that this is not true your final contract protects me no matter what I choose to do in life so we have a few choices here.

First choice I can Change my name and leave the country and start my life over in a small town where nobody knows me I have no blood connections to anyone so nobody will find me, I will stay in at night and be free and you continue to live the life you are living, if you are happy in your position than I am ok with this since either way I am not staying in Louisiana as long as De Castro is the King I will not be safe.

Second Choice I can take all of the evidence I have against the King and ask for a trial with the Counsel this will take time and I don't know how safe you will be while we wait for the trial since if we win Frayda will lose you and I am guessing she isn't one to like to lose what she feels is Her's.

The Last thing I can think of is something I think you should of done a long time ago is a takeover if you are willing to be King of the states there are a few Vampire Kings who owe me there lives I will call in the favor and get them to help and maybe you could give them states to make them happy or something since I would think running four states would be difficult not to mention put a big Bulls Eye on your back.

The choice is your's and even if you do not still love me and want to be with me I understand and will accept that but you deserve to be free at last.

I Love you Eric.

Forever Yours,

Sookie Stackhouse.

I take the letter to back to the table and hand it to Mr. C he says he will take it tonight and have an answer for me in the morning I am surprised he can get it done that fast but don't say anything about it I thank him and then we take our leave. All that we can do know is wait for Eric to decide what he want to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Truth Hurts

The look on Sam's face was preposterous when we walked in. He couldn't take his eyes off his mother being tied to one of my kitchen chairs. I could only assume Karin had brought the extra rope. I nodded at her and went to stand directly in front of Sam. Although I didn't want to I know, I didn't have a choice but to go back into his head to get the information I need because he would never tell me on his own. That would just be too simple. I reached out, put my hand on his neck, and since his hands were tied touching his face was too intimate unless it was with my fist, and dropped my shields. "She will never understand. I was in debt. The $100,000 she gave me wasn't even close to enough, but how could I tell her? Its bad enough I made her a partner in my business because I knew if I did she would never ask for the money back. Now I will be lucky if the fuckin' vamps don't kill me tonight. Maybe they will make it quick so that De Castro cannot torture me for failing him. It doesn't really matter if I fail tomorrow night. Bill will show up and take her by force since I re- invited him into the house without her knowing."

"Sam!" I hollered, startling him out of his thoughts. He looked at me, realized I was touching him, that I was listening to his thoughts, and snarled at me like the animal he was, and then looked down in defeat. I knew it was time to ask my questions. I took a deep breath and started with simple ones. "Sam, what exactly was your plan, and what did you mean when you thought earlier that I didn't really choose this of my own free will? What have you done to take away my will? He just stared at me with a shocked look and wouldn't say aloud what I'd already heard. He was ordered to put a potion in my drink every Sunday evening before bed. The King of Nevada had ordered his witch in Las Vegas to make the potion specifically for me. When ingested, it would make me believe that I was in love with the person who had served it to Maenad want to do anything to make them happy. He started giving it to me a week before the Were War... when I used the Cluvial Dor on him... He was extremely happy to see that the potion was working, even if he knew I didn't really love him but he didn't care. He'd stopped loving me a long time ago, but I was a loyal employee, willing to drop anything when he called, and he was glad that Janna Lynn tried to kill him. It took the only thing that could have saved Eric from his contract and left me for him to swoop in and take his place. He was trying to figure out what went wrong with the potion that it stopped working all of a sudden, and he chose that moment to speak out loud, and Sam asked, "Why didn't it work?" Sookie stared at him, no longer seeing the man she once thought of as a friend, seeing only the monster he had become, and for what? For money? This was something she would never understand because to her, money had never been important. She stepped back and just watched him, not knowing where to begin to tell the others everything she had heard in the last few minutes, she was humiliated, sad, and most notably angry; she had a vampire who had loved her and she loved him, even throughout the entire year with him being gone she loved him still. Due to the greed of so many others she had lost him, and then pushed him away to the point that perhaps even after rescuing him, she doubts that he will ever want her in his again. With that final thought, the dam breaks and the tears streamed down her face as she told everyone all she had heard, and then left the room. Sookie ran to her bedroom and before crawling under the covers, pulled one of Eric's shirts out of the drawer next to her bed. She lay back and hugged it to her chest. She knew she wasn't done with Sam and his mother but she needed to come to terms with all the information she had just gained, and then she could go back and finish all that needed finishing. She was more determined than ever to save Eric and needed to discuss with Pam what to do regarding Bill. She had no doubt that he would be there first thing tomorrow night and, with that in mind, she sat up and whispered unflinchingly into the darkness, "William Thomas Compton, I rescind your invitation to my home. "A few minutes later my door opened to Pam walking in, and then quietly lying next to me. She rubbed my arm until the tears that I hadn't even realized were still flowing ran dry. I sat up and Pam followed, watching to make sure I was okay. I nodded my head and she gave me a small smile that quickly turned into a smirk, and then into her trademark deadpan expression. Right then, I knew that everything would be fine. I would do what needed to be done and think about everything else later. Eric needed me to save him, and I needed this chapter of my life to end so I could, hopefully, be happy. I jumped out of bed and headed back down the stairs to finish Sam's interrogation.


	4. Chapter 4

I stood just as quietly as I could outside of my kitchen listening to Sam tell his mother to not say anything, that I wouldn't allow any harm to come to them because I hated violence. While this was true, Sam was going to learn, right along with his mother and Bill, that I was done letting everyone walk all over me. It was time for me to embrace who and what I was if I truly wanted to prove to Eric that I wanted to be with him I needed to stop running. With that in mind, I walked through the doorway and straight over to Bernadette, grabbed her shoulder right above the tacky green dress she wore, and dropped my shields to ask her the only question I had of her.

"Bernadette," I asked, "what's your part in all of this?" Her thoughts were awful!

"Is she kidding? This whole thing was my idea! Why else would I allow my son to marry a non-shifter? As soon as she's gone I'll introduce him to Talia in Texas. He can sell his stupid bar and come back to start a family and have more pure bred shifters. They will be good together."

I interrupted her thoughts to get her back to what I needed to know by asking her again what her motives were, and once again, I hadn't stopped listening the entire time. I was getting tired from trying to weave through the snarly red of her mind, but I keep pushing... "Sam doesn't know exactly how much I am involved with this, but what he doesn't know won't kill him. This bitch better not tell him or I will take great joy in killing her after Bill takes care of the two Vamp bitches. He said he would get them to agree to stay in his house, and then would fight the sun and stake them before he dies for the day. They won't be able to help her tomorrow when he takes her and I'm sure Bill won't live long after killing The Northman's progenies so I won't have to worry about him for long either. It's great! I can wipe out that debt, and then go home with my boy to watch my grandbabies grow up. She probably doesn't even know that I only spent $150.00 on her ring, she's so pathetic. Soon it will be over and she won't do anything to us! When she lets us go, I'll send Bill over right away to just get it done.

When I've listened to all I can take from her, I let my hand fall away and step back. I don't even care how much more she's involved or what plans she may have in place to kill the only real friends I have, she won't get out of this alive, not now; if I had ever thought that I wouldn't have to kill Bill before now, I was sadly mistaken. I know for certain that he must meet his true death, but maybe we'll hold him in silver so Eric will have the honor of ridding the world of Bill Compton once and forever more. The truth of the matter is Eric never killed him when he had all those opportunities before because he didn't want to hurt me. I can no longer find it in myself to care what happens to Bill. He has hurt me for the very last time; he just doesn't know it yet, but he will, and very soon.

I turn to look at Sam who had been yelling at me to stop listening to his mother as she had nothing to do with any of it. I just stared at him, realizing that he had no clue how fucked they really are because although Bernadette didn't let him in on everything, still he's just as culpable as her, and I will not allow our phony friendship to cloud my judgment. An idea pops into my head, and I run back down to my room and grab the silver chain, a pair of leather gloves, and two scarves from my closet to keep the shifters quiet, along with my cell phone. On my way back downstairs, I hand the gloves to Karin to put on, and then hand her the silver asking her to put it Sam and Bernadette for a few moments. When she returns, I pick up my phone and dial, and after three rings he answers.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Oh Bill, You Have Been a Very Naughty Boy

"This is Bill," he says as he answers, and I can't help but roll my eyes at his greeting. Instead

I just sigh into the phone, and then begin my Academy Award-winning conversation with my

Hi Bill! It's Sookie. How are you?

I'm good. Why are you calling? I thought you were getting married tonight?

I was, but we got into an argument after the wedding, and Sam left with his mother a few

Minutes ago. He said he needed to be alone for a little bit so I left the guests to eat the food

And enjoy their evening. I know that you're always willing to listen to me when I have a

Bad day. Could you come over for a few minutes?

Of course, sweetheart. I will be there in five minutes.

Thank you so much, Bill. Could you come to the front door since the guests are still?

Yes, Sookie. I will see you soon.

I rolled my eyes as I hung up the phone and Pam started clapping her hands at my acting skills, smirking at me, and then we went downstairs to wait for Bill's arrival. Karin decided to go around back and then follow him into the house while Pam went to wait in the kitchen so Bill had no escape unless he went out a window, which would be funny but doubtful. A couple minutes later there was a knock on the door. I answered it and invited Bill into the living room, leaving the door open so Karin could just walk on in. "Would you like a blood, Bill" I offered, ever the perfect hostess. "No, Sookie. Tell me what's happened," Bill said sounding a wee bit frantic. I sat on the chair across from him and started my story with a smile on my face. I told him about what happened, that I just couldn't go through with it, and I could see the panic rise on his face. I gave a single nod to Karin who quickly wrapped the silver around his neck and pulled him over the couch, onto the floor, and kneeled on his chest. Bill hissed out his pain and demanded to know what was going on. I rose from my chair, walked around the couch, and smiled down at his surprised face as I told him I was aware of all his plans having learned of them by listening in on Sam and Bernadette's thoughts and that he wouldn't be getting away with anything this time. I looked at Karin and asked her to tie him up with the others and to watch them while I took Pam to check out Bill's house. We needed to investigate it to determine if we could find any evidence of what Felipe may have planned because that would be a simple way of getting Eric out of his contract. We watched as Karin dragged a smoking Bill up the stairs, and then went to get Pam in the kitchen. When we got to Bill's, I noticed that there was a void in one of the upstairs rooms and whispered the news to Pam. She ran through the house at vamp speed and returned a few seconds later with a naked, hissing Thalia covered in blood. I ran into the house, straight to the fridge, grabbed all the blood, threw four into the microwave, and took two outside since it wouldn't make a difference at this point. She would just slam them down quickly. I gave them to Pam, and then ran inside to get the rest of them, shaking them as I ran back out. Pam was standing over her as she drank making sure that she gained control and I went back inside to look for clothes for her. As I walked into the room across from Bill's, all I saw was blood, and it made me angry knowing that it was Thalia's. I always had great respect for her and know that she is really old; it must have been very difficult to capture her and to see what she must have been through at the hands of Bill. It made me want to stake him myself but I now know that will have to happen at the hands of Thalia. I think I might have felt bad for him if it wasn't for what I was seeing now. I saw that her clothes were nothing but rags on the floor covered in blood, so she would have to wear his clothes. I knew she wouldn't like it but she couldn't go to my house.

"Dear William Compton:

I would like to thank you for your assistance in finding a suitable mate for my Child. I have contacted Queen Freyda, and we are due to meet next Friday to begin contract negotiations. I have contacted Felipe de Castro personally as he would be the one individual able to veto the contract. I have informed His Majesty of his access to the telepath whom he so highly covets. She will be his once my Child has left His state. He was more than willing to agree with whatever I decide is best for my Child. I believe that my new Childe could use some time and tutelage with his brother so I have decided to visit Louisiana after the contract is signed, and then I will notify him of his new station in the Vampire world. I was curious as to why you are so invested in my Child's life as to your assisting in finding a mate for him and would like to know how this may benefit you.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Proof We Need

I could only stare at the screen as a million thoughts went through my head. Pam came into the room and I pointed at the screen. She leaned over me to read it and when she finished, she was hissing. I got up, allowing her to continue scanning through the rest of the documents and she came upon another letter, this one from De Castro dated two just weeks ago:

This is to inform you that the shifter will be marrying my telepath in two weeks' time. I want you to remain in your Bon Temps residence on that day. Do not attend the wedding. I know that I previously told you to confirm the marriage but I have decided to have the shifter contact me the following night to confirm. I have reconsidered this believing that your attendance will, indeed, upset Miss Stackhouse as you were not given an invitation. I do not want anything to interfere with these nuptials as they are my only current chance to obtain and claim the telepath as my own. Be prepared to take her the following night as I do not wish to wait longer than necessary. I gave my word to the shifter that it would happen immediately and once they are wed, he can move into her house without her brother having any say. I will have my private jet waiting for you. Be there at midnight. Do not be late.

Regent of Nevada, Louisiana and Arkansas"

This was precisely what we needed to help in getting Eric out of the contract Appius had shackled upon him. I picked up my cell phone and called Mr. C to see if I could arrange an appointment with him. After a couple of rings, a young female answered speaking quite rapidly who I immediately recognized as Diantha. I barely understand what she said.

"HiSookiehowhaveyoubeenmyuncleisinameetingaskedmetoanswerthephone," She greeted.

"Hi Diantha! I'm well. How are you? I'm calling to see if it would be possible to set up an appointment to meet with Mr. C as soon as possible," I replied.

"Hecanseeyouintwohoursinshreveportifyoucanmakeit," she confirmed when she came back to

"I can make it, just tell me where," I told her.

"ThecoffeeshopdownthestreetfromFangtasia," she said.

"I will be there. Thank you, Diantha! It was nice talking with you," I said with

I hung up the phone, looked at Pam, and she just nodded her head. I opened the top draw, pulled out a flash drive, and handed it to Pam to save all the files. I walked to the closet where I knew he spent his days and crawled into the back to see if he had hidden anything else in there. Inside his coffin I found another flash drive and some disks. I grabbed them as well as the laptop beside them, and then crawled back to where Pam was waiting. I handed her the items and we left the house and headed back to mine. When we got there, Karin and Thalia were sitting on the sofa with bloods in their hands. Thalia looked better and she was wearing a pair of my jeans and a t-shirt. She looked pissed. I sat in one of the chairs as Pam dropped the computer and files in front of Karin and sat on the arm of my chair. We waited while Karin and Thalia read through everything. I heard Karin hiss, then she got up and ran out the front door. A second later, I felt the ground shake and I was pretty sure she had just ripped a tree out of the ground, but I waited since nobody else moved. She came back in and sat back down as if nothing happened.

She looked to me and I explained that I had a meeting with Mr. C in two hours and that someone would have to stay and guard the house so that our prisoners wouldn't get away being as I didn't have enough silver to wrap around all of them. Kim and Thalia decided to stay, so Pam and I went to get ready. A few minutes later I had my sneakers on and found a duffel bag for the laptop, flash drives, and disks that I wanted to show the lawyer, and we got into the car to head toward Shreveport. Since it was only an hour drive when doing the speed limit, with Pam driving it took us only half an hour that included a stop at Fangtasia where she scheduled a few meetings. That took only few minutes so I sat on her new couch and waited while she finished her business. When she was done we still had forty five minutes to wait so we went to the bar to see how everything was running and I was amazed at what I saw. Pam had done a great job on everything and although the uniforms were still not something I would ever wear, they were better to look at than before. As I sat in what used to be Eric's old booth, a waitress came up to me and told me nobody was allowed to sit there; it was the Master's booth and held for his return. Only his progenies and the true wife of the Master could sit there. I dropped my shields to listen to what she was thinking... "Stupid bitch thinks she can sit wherever she wants because she came in with Pam. She has a lot to learn. I don't know who Master's wife is. I never met her, but I know that if I ever did, I would do anything in my power to get her to the King. That's why I was sent here in the first place; get cozy with the Sheriff so she is willing to tell you all that is going on in her Area, keep her distracted so she doesn't figure out what I have planned for the telepath, and inform me immediately if the telepath ever shows her face in the bar. Those are easy orders and I make sure to stop anyone from sitting in this booth so that the telepath has to identify herself as his wife in order to sit here." I stared at her for a minute, and then walked up to the bar and waited for Pam to come and get me. As she did, I whispered everything I had heard so that only the Vampires closest to us could hear. I recognized many of them from the war with Victor Madden and I knew they were on our side. Pam nodded her head, and then walked toward where the waitress was taking an order from a vampire I didn't recognize. They disappeared into the back Employees-Only area. We headed to the coffee shop down the road and arrived there at the same time as Mr. C. and Diantha pulled in so we went in together and took our seats in a booth toward the back of the shop. After all of the greetings, Mr. C. got right to business by asking why I wanted to see him. I lifted the bag onto the table and told him everything that I discovered that night, and then went on to show him the letters on the laptop, and sat back to wait for him to tell me how to proceed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Vampire Law

After Mr. C. went over all the evidence we gave him, he sat back and stared straight ahead for a few moments before he finally looked at me and he asked, "Sookie, as you know I have been a lawyer for the Supernatural community for a very long time and, in all that time, nothing like this has ever happened. It has always been that children must obey their Maker's command. I know that Eric's Maker has met the true death, but still Eric had to abide by the contract commissioned by Freyda and Ocello. In order to protect you, he changed the contract to add an additional 100 years as long as you stay safe and, yes, if you had married the shifter that would have made you his. I personally went over the new contract and it stated very clearly that no matter what you chose to do with your life, you were to be left alone or the contract would be null and void, so with this proof Eric can be released. The problem is, if we take this evidence to the Vampire Council, it could take a while and you would still be left here in danger since Eric would still be stuck in Oklahoma until the judges decide to release him. It is not a common thing for a consort to leave a Monarch because the Monarch has all the power. Eric could also find himself in trouble with Freyda once she discovers this.

I held my hand up to stop him and told him that was the problem! Eric had survived over 1000 years on this earth tortured by a cruel maker and even in death Ocello was able to continue torturing him. I don't know what Eric's life was like in Oklahoma, I don't know if he was happy there and if he was, then that was fine, but it should be his choice, not hers. She may be a queen, but she was not his chosen queen. That alone should tell anyone that he did not want to be there! He could have chosen to live in Oklahoma and open his bar there but he didn't!

He settled in Louisiana, he ruled his little Area, and he was happy up until De Castro killed Sophie-Anne, and took over. All I wanted was for him to have a choice. Then an idea hit me! "Would it be possible for you to maybe see what he wants? You're his lawyer, too. Right? Could you ask to speak with him, privately, away from the Palace where I am sure everything is bugged? I could write a letter explaining what I know and he could choose if this might be what he wants. If it's not, then I'll stop, leave the country, and start a new life. I still have funds from Claudine. I could move to a small, no-name town in the middle of nowhere and let Sookie Stackhouse become a memory." Mr. C. handed me a napkin from the table and I realized I had tears streaming down my face once again. I hadn't even realized I was crying. The thought of not being with Eric was killing me, but this wasn't about me. He deserved to be happy and if Mr. C nodded his head and pulled out a blank piece of notepad paper and a pen. I got up and walked to an empty table and thought over what I wanted to write before I began.

I am writing this knowing it is probably too late, but I need you to understand a few things I have learned just today. These things have been going on since the week before I used the Cluviel Dor on Sam. Apparently Felipe De Castro gave Sam a potion to put in my drink once a week beginning the week before the Pack meeting. This potion was to make me love the person who presented me with the drink which, of course, was Sam. He is currently tied up at my house along with his mother, and Bill. They are being watched over by your Karin and Thalia. They were all involved in this from the beginning. You see, Sam owes a great deal of money and I knew this; I loaned him some of the money I received from Claudine which he never intended to pay back, but he owed more than that so his mother came up with a plan. Knowing that the King wanted me, and that if Sam married me, he could hand me over because I would be his.

They contacted De Castro. He had his witch create the potion and Sam started giving it to me. That's why I used the Cluviel Dor on him even though I knew in my heart I loved you. The potion was not letting me listen to my heart. Well, apparently he has been feeding me this potion every week for a year up until this past week when he had an emergency and wasn't able to give it to me. All week I've been feeling awful, and when I woke up today, the day I was supposed to marry Sam, I knew it was wrong and I would not be able to do it. As I sat at the vanity I was supposed to use to get ready all I could do was think about you. How much I loved you and that even though the words you said to me were hurtful and wrong, I knew you were hurting too, and just wanted to be with me no matter what, but I could never have done that. I am too selfish to be the other woman and I deserve better, but that's not what this letter is for. I have discovered that Felipe De Castro has been planning on taking me and I have proof from only two weeks ago that his plans were to take place tomorrow after I was married to Sam. Apparently he believes that Sam can just give me to him and it will not affect the contract drawn up between Appius and Oklahoma. I am with Mr. C now and he has informed me this is not true. Your final contract protects me regardless of what I choose to do in life so we have a few options.

The first choice is for me to change my name, leave the country, and start my life over in a small town where nobody knows me. I have no blood connections to anyone so nobody will find me. I will stay in at night and be free; you continue to live the life you are living. If you are happy in your position, then I'm okay with this since either way I am not staying in Louisiana. As long as the second choice is for me to take all of the evidence I now have against the King and request a trial with the Council. This will take time and I don't know how safe you will be while we wait. If we win, Freyda will lose you, and I am guessing she isn't one to like losing what she feels is the last thing I can think of is something I think you should have done a long time ago. You will have to stage a coup and takeover if you are willing to be King of four states. There are a few vampire monarchs who owe me their lives; I'll call in the favors and get them to help. Maybe you could give those States to them and make them happy or something since I would think running four States would be difficult, not to mention the big Bulls Eye on your back.

The choice is yours and, even if you no longer love me nor want to be with me, I understand and will accept that, but you deserve to be free.

I Love You

Forever Yours,

Sookie Stackhouse

I took the letter to back to the table and handed it to Mr. C. He said he would take it tonight and have an answer for me in the morning. I was surprised he could get it done that fast but didn't say anything about it. I graciously thanked him and we took our leave. All that we could do now was wait for Eric to decide his course of action.


	8. Chapter 8

Sleeping Arrangements

Once we've left the coffee shop, we were both quiet. There was so much on my mind and I was trying to process everything. Finally, Pam disturbed the quiet by asking if I would want to stay with her, and I just nodded my head. We would get things sorted out tomorrow when I had an answer, and I wouldn't have to be alone tonight. I knew I would drive myself crazy. Pam pulled out her cell phone, called Karin, and gave her directions for our captives. "Karin, take the prisoners to the warehouse. Sookie is staying with us tonight. "Should I pack some clothes for Sookie? How long will she be staying? "Yes, pack enough for a week. We'll figure out the rest once we hear of Eric's decision."

" I will be there in an hour. Call if anything comes up. "Pam put her phone away and I could see as she glanced at me from the corner of my eyes. I turned to look at her and asked her what she was thinking.

"I was wondering if what you said was true, that you would move from Bon Temps for good, no matter what Eric might decide." She inquired, without a bit of snark.

"Yes, Pam. I was serious. At this point, there's really nothing there for me. My friends have their own lives, my brother has his own family, and although I love being an aunt, they won't really need me. I won't be able to work as a waitress my whole life. Even if I was part-owner all that meant was that I was responsible for doing the paperwork and that got boring real quick.

So yeah, I'm done. I'm going to have to put the bar up for sale whenever we figure out what to do with Sam. He can't pay me back, so it looks like I'm full owner now. As for my house, I'll see if Jason wants it. His house is too small for a family but mine would be perfect for one, and he could be happy in Gran's house. I would be happy knowing that a Stackhouse still lived there," I informed her in total honesty. Pam nodded her head and we were silent for the rest of the drive for which I was grateful, considering all the things I had that were running circles in my head. Twenty minutes later we pulled up in front of Eric's house and I just sat and stared at it for a minute. I hadn't realized we were coming here because I wasn't paying any attention to where we were going. I was quite I wasn't sure if I could go in; it would so weird, was I supposed to stay in the room he had arranged for me again? That would be too much. I don't know what Eric would want. I feel as if I would be trespassing if he decided that he was happy and no longer wants me. I was just about to tell Pam what I was thinking, but she cut me off and stated, "He wanted you safe and you're in the safest place right now." Pam was right, I knew she was, but it wasn't making it any more uncomfortable .Once we were out of the car, we finally walked up to the house and I took a deep breath before I entered the one place I never thought I would again. I removed my shoes and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. I then found a place to sit and wait for Karin's arrival. I knew that it would be a long night spent waiting, but tomorrow I would have my answers, and then I would figure out the next step.

Since it had been such a long day, I knew I would need to sleep. I asked Pam what room I should take and she pointed toward my old one. I nodded my head and walked toward the door. Pam put her hand on my shoulder, stopping me, and I looked in her eyes knowing what she wanted to say. I nodded my head and thanked her with a hug. She released me and was gone in the blink of an eye. I went into the adjoining bathroom to do my nightly routine and was amazed to find that all of my stuff was still in the exact same place it was over a year ago! This was what finally brought the tears to my eyes as I stepped into the shower and allowed the water to wash them away. Once I was finished, I climbed into bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. It had been a long night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning when I awoke, I initially panicked when I saw where I was, and then I remembered everything that happened yesterday. I rolled over to look at the clock on the night stand and saw that it was 11:30 a.m. I wasn't sure when Mr. C. would contact me and hoped that he hadn't already tried. I grabbed my cell phone and saw that he had not. With a sigh, I got out of bed and started my morning routine. With that completed, I was off to the kitchen to see if there was any human food.

When I entered the kitchen, I noticed that someone must have gone shopping because there was a ton of groceries bags piled by the garage door. I made a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast along with a large glass of orange juice. I stood to eat at the counter because I was far too nervous to actually sit down and enjoy it. When I finished, I cleaned up my mess and went into the living room to see if there was anything on TV. I stopped on a reality show about housewives and watched that for about twenty minutes when my phone rang. It was Mr. C.!

"Hello, dear. How are you today?"

"I'm nervous to hear Eric's reply so I know where to go from here and get started on the next chapter of my life. Were you able to speak with him privately?"

"Yes, as his lawyer there are expectations of privacy and no one has the right to deny privacy, even supernatural royalty,"

"That's good. Did he give you an answer?"

"He has, but he wrote it in a letter and asked that you be the only person to read it. Can you meet me at some point today?"

"Yes, please tell me where and I'll take one of the cars and meet you,"

"How about the same coffee shop as last night?"

"That's fine. What time?"

"How about 2:00 p.m.?"

"Thank you, Mr. C. I really do appreciate this!"

"Not at all, dear. I will see you soon. Goodbye,"

"Goodbye,"

I looked at the clock and saw that it was only 12:45 p.m. so I had time to kill. I also knew that it was taking everything I had to not drive right there! I decided to see if I could find a set of keys for one of the cars. That's when I found the note on the dining room table. I picked it up and saw Pam's neat script and began to read.

I had Karin stop at a grocery store to buy you human food. She left the keys to her car in the garage. It is the same code as before so that should be easy for you. Please make certain you lock everything up before you leave and put in all the proper codes to keep Thalia, Karin and myself safe while you are gone. Do try not to get into any trouble today, my telepathic friend. It will take us so much longer to find you without having had your delicious blood in any of us vampires for so very long.

I do hope you get your answer today, Sookie. Best of luck.

You're Friend,

Pam

I put the letter down and went to the garage to check for the key. I did as Pam asked and locked the house up tight behind me, and as I stepped outside I lowered my shields to see if anyone had followed me. When I sensed it was all clear, I climbed into the car and drove straight to the coffee shop.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Eric's Letter

I see Mr. C as soon as I enter and go to greet him I sit down across from him and a waitress comes and I order a coffee and wait for her to walk away before I look over to Mr. C and wait for him to start the conversation since I am really nervous right now. Sookie I was able to speak with Eric in private as you requested and I gave him your letter, when he was finished he asked if it would be possible to write a letter to you, I have it here but before I give it to you I want to make sure that this is really what you want to save him. If you just want to get away I can take you away right now and nobody will ever be able to find you. I think about what he says and then make up my mind and let him know. Mr. C if this letter says that he does not wish to be released from the contract I will take you up on your offer but first I need to know what he wants and if he is happy. Mr. C nods his head and hands me the letter.

Dearest Sookie,

To say that I am surprised that you are writing to me wanting to free me is an understatement, I am truly sorry for everything that I said and did in the end of our relationship. I thought that I was protecting you from being hurt by hiding the contract from you I really thought I could get out of it but it was impossible as you are well aware and with everything else going on I thought it was best but in the end I know I was wrong now and if I could go back and do things over I would. We always had a hard time communicating with each other and I guess I felt that you should have used the Cluvial Dor to help me and that I shouldn't have to ask you to do it that was my mistake since I realize now you probably thought I wanted to marry her and the way I was treating you didn't help that situation. I will always love you Sookie that will not change because I was forced to marry someone else. To be honest I hate it here I miss so much my children, my home, and my ONE TRUE WIFE, I miss you so much Sookie when I am alone I think about you so I do not go crazy. Every day for the last year has been torture without you beside me Sookie I know I should have told you thing before to make sure you knew how I truly feel for you but I was a fool and thought that my actions should have proven to you how I felt. I never took into consideration what you were going through trying to defend our relationship to everyone you came across. I want you Sookie but if it means that you are going to do something stupid that will get you killed I would rather stay here Sookie your safety is the most important thing to me and I could never forgive myself if you died trying to save me from this contract, there is no proof that Freyda had anything to do with your attempted kidnapping so although De Castro may be fined the council probably will not do anything. I am glad you found out about Bill and Sam's deception do what you have to do to stay safe. You need to forget about saving me there is no out for me I am trapped for the next one hundred and ninety nine years. If I am lucky I will die in battle protecting the Queen and then this hell will be over. Goodbye my love stay safe, live the life that you want that is most important to me. Tell Pam and Karin that I miss them and I am coping fine.

Yours Forever,

Eric Northman.

I read the note over a couple times before I realize that I am crying he cannot be serious he has just given up, I will not I have never listened to him before and I will not start now I will take this to the counsel and if that doesn't work I will figure something out he will be free and I will hold him in my hands again he said he still loves me so there is still a chance of us being together I will not stop until I figure out a way. I grab a napkin and clean my face then look up at Mr. C he is watching me and waiting to see what to do next I tell him that I want to take this to the counsel and see what happens, he nods and pulls out a folder and places it in front of me when I look at it I can't help but to laugh he knew my answer and already was prepared he has already requested a hearing with the counsel and they have responded that the meeting was to be held in one weeks' time with a list of all attendees. I go through the list and see quite a few names that look familiar, and smile to myself sign the bottom and then return them to M.C. he asks if there is anything else I would need and when the waitress comes back with the check we pay and leave.


End file.
